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These injuries may be due impaction injuries or hyperextension/flexion of the first MPJ.

Other conditions - synovitis, crystal deposition diseases such as gout, systemic arthritis, external physical has a bearing on such as Dupytren's contracture, etc.

But before we go any further, we need to understand that the terms turf toe and hallux limitus aren't really synonymous. The fundamental difference between the two phrases is the patient population that they affect. Turf toe is a term used in athletic bags referring to any injury of the great toe shared. Consequently, discussions regarding turf toe will focus on the first couple of reasons for hallux limitus mentioned above; functional hallux limitus and direct physical injury. On the other hand, when we discuss hallux limitus, we're actually referring to a broader, non-athletic' patient population and also need to include all three causes of hallux limitus.

Think of turf toe (hallux limitus) as an isolated case of osteoarthritis limited to the first MPJ. Whether the injury is acute or due to repetitive loading, the end result will be a lot that is put on the subchondral bone that is greater than the bone can tolerate. As the damage progresses, a series of small fractures will develop in the subchondral bone. The typical soft spongy character of the metaphyseal bone changes to become brittle and hard. The result is that the articular cartilage looses its' fundamental support and becomes susceptible to injury. Juxtachondral eburnation, osteophytes, lipping, spurring; call them what you like, but what you see on your x-ray is the slow progressive destruction of the joint.

What's the actual physical change that takes place in the joint with turf toe? As an easy analogy, consider the changes that takes place when an apple falls from a height and is damaged. The skin of the apple appears intact but the underlying pulp is damaged. In the case of turf toe (hallux limitus), think of the skin of the apple since the cartilage of the joint and the broken pulp of the apple is the subchondral bone. Slight cases of turf toe (hallux limitus), result in little damage to the subchondral bone and will merely exhibit signs of inflammatory change within the joint.

Most Authors Would Refer to These Cases as Stage One Turf Toe (Hallux Limitus)

More severe cases result in damage to the joint surface, the subchondral bone or equally. These are the stage two and three cases of turf toe (hallux limitus) that show visible change on x-ray. As the subchondral bone gets increasingly damaged, it will create a great uneven promoting surface for the cartilage. An increase in activity results in uneven loading of the joint due to the compression injury of the subchondral bone.

The onset of turf toe usually the same? Turf toe that is the result of functional hallux limitus is going to be insidious in onset. Functional hallux limitus will usually be seen in younger athletes as they attempt to improve their activity. It may not occur during the initial sports season, or the second, but when it does begin to cause pain, the onset will be more frequent and more severe, various with activity. This profile of onset is simply due to the fact that the athlete is recreating the injury with every step.

Turf Toe Caused by a Direct Injury to the Joint May or May Not be Obvious

Athletes may not remember an incident of pain since they're often distracted by the event or game in which they are involved. The onset of direct injury to the joint may be unexpected, but also may be insidious becoming increasingly more painful as the season progresses. The joint pain will abate with rest only to recur together with increased activity. It's not unusual to see the signs of turf toe resolve in the off season only to recur with renewed exercise.

Treatment of turf toe varies together with the kind of healthcare provider and includes the use of rest, shoe modifications, orthotics, steroid needles and surgery. The success of non-surgical attention will vary with the degree of injury, the rate at which the injury is healing and also how much osteoarthritis offers occurred. We see varying degrees of success with orthotics that promote plantarflexion of the very first ray, effectively treating metatarsus primus elevatus and peroneus longus dysfunction.

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Simple Arch Supports can Make a Significant Difference in the Symptoms of Turf Toe

Should our patient not react to conservative care in a reasonable time period, we are not reluctant in order to suggest surgical revision to address the problem whether it be revisions of the shared defect, shortening of a long first metatarsal or structural revision of metatarsus primus elevatus. As mentioned before, the clinical appearance of dorsal lipping or visible radiographic changes are suggestive of moderately advanced osteoarthritis, a condition that is only repaired by joint revision or replacement.

When treating turf toe be sure to recognize the fact that there is no nerve innervation in articular cartilage. Pain associated with stage one turf toe (hallux limitus) is either synovial pain or bone pain. If we recognize that unpleasant stage one turf toe hallux limitus) may be due to be able to bone pain, we then recognize that turf toe should be handled aggressively in order to make sure the long run stability of the joint.

Nomenclature:

First MPJ - the big toe joint Metatarsus primus elevatus - a functional or perhaps structural position of the first metatarsal First metatarsal - the foot bone making up the proximal portion of the big toe joint Hallux - the great toe.

Anatomy:

The great toe joint, or first metatarsal joint consists of two bones. The proximal bone is the very first metatarsal as well as the distal is known as the proximal phalanx or hallux. These two bone move against each other in a up and down motion through what we refer to as the sagital plane. Biomechanics: The motion of the great toe joint is dependant after the plantarflexion of the very first metatasal. If the first metatarsal is limitied in its' power to plantarflex, the joint will jam leading to funtional hallux limitus, which as we know is one of the causes of turf toe.

Symptoms:

Turf toe that is the result of functional hallux limitus is going to be insidious in onset. Functional hallux limitus will most likely be seen in youthful sportsmen as they try to improve their activity. It may not occur during the first athletic season, or the second, but when it does start to hurt, the onset will be more frequent and more severe, varying with activity. This profile of onset is simply due to the fact that the athlete is recreating the injury with each and every step. Turf toe caused by a direct injury to the joint may or may not be obvious.

Athletes may not remember an incident of pain since these are often distracted by the event or game in which they're included. The onset of primary injury to the joint could be abrupt, but also may always be insidious becoming increasingly more painful as the season progresses. The joint pain may subside with rest only to recur with increased activity. It's not unusual to see symptoms of turf toe resolve in the off season only to recur with renewed exercise.

About the Author:Jeffrey a

Oster, DPM, C.Ped is a board certified foot and ankle doctor. Dr. Oster is also board certified in pedorthics. Dr. Oster is medical director of Myfootshop.com and is in active practice in Granville, Ohio.

Susie HartSusie is a leading curator at omex3.com, a resource about alternative natural health. Last year, Susie worked as a post curator at a well-known tech web site. When she's not sourcing web posts, Susie enjoys working out and skateboarding.